Recording the Lauber third symphony:
(http://www.adcsound.ch/Temp/UnsungC_Lauber/Lauber3.jpg)
Picture took yesterday. Tuba and Kontrafagott are missing because they only play in the final of the 3rd..
The 3rd is already finished and we recorded the 2 first mouvements of the 6th.
Same team but not the same place. Nevertheless I'm happy with this new place.
I really hope we'll record "Die Alpen" suite saturday, it depends on the confederation and canton announcements tonight regarding the covid...
Cheers from Bern,
Fred.
Thanks, Fred, that's really good news - and fingers crossed for Saturday.
Can you describe Symphony No.3, please, Fred? And when was it written?
also at least key, etc ;) Thanks!! Though one will wait!
Dear friends,
You'll find below a link to download my scores (3rd and 6th), before my own editing marks of course.
I shall delete the file on the beginning of January.
I wish you all a Merry Christmas.
Fred.
http://www.adcsound.ch/Temp/Lauber_Sympho3_6.zip
No.3, titled "Dramatique", is in B minor and dates from July-August 1896.
No.6 seems to begin in D and end in C - or have I got that wrong? No date is mentioned.
Conductor Kaspar Zehnder writes:
Within a short time-span (1895-6) Lauber wrote the First, Second and Third Symphonies, then the significantly more heavily scored/impressionistic 4th and 5th Symphonies followed in 1913 and 1918. The undated 6th Symphony, recorded by the Suisse Romande Orchestra under Ernest Ansermet in 1952, was written for a small orchestra in the classical style. (translated)
https://www.kasparzehnder.com/en/news-and-press/news/
Thanks!!
Symphony no.6 judging from the score that's been kindly provided by Fred @ adcsound: 1. Allegro ma non troppo in D major (pp.1-35) ; 2. Scherzo in A minor (pp.36-67); 3. Adagio (in D?) (pp.68-89) ; 4. Allegro (in C) (pp.90-140, starts with a trumpet melody...)
The recording from Ansermet and the OSR is a live from 1950, not 1952.
Here is what is written in the "catalogue des oeuvres" regarding the 6th:
"Cette oeuvre est non datée.Elle a été déclarée à la SUISA en 1949".
Not a big fan of the last movement from this symphony that I find not so inspired...
But I have to say that the third one is a masterpiece. The second movement is a bit "Bruckner inspired" and sounds wonderful.
Kaspar and the orchestra were really involved and the sessions had been really focused and full of music. To me, the takes sound better than the symphonies 1&2. Not the same room.
We also recorded "Die Alpen" which is a really swiss attitude...
Appetite duly whetted...
That's all very good news, thanks.
Dear friends,
I have begun the editing of our last December sessions with the Lauber symphonies n°3 and n°6.
We also recorded a symphonic cycle called « Die Alpen » (1896).
The label allows me to post here - as a premiere - an excerpt from the last movement of this cycle called « Journée d'été dans la haute montagne ».
I allow myself to post this link as a present for you all, with a special thought to the British members of this forum.
This is an edit, not the final version.
http://www.adcsound.ch/VideosPhotosDocuments/UnsungComposer/LauberDieAlpen3ex.mp3
Regards, Fred.
Thanks from us here in Britain - an uplifting use of our national anthem!
Sounds great so far, Fred! Looking forward to purchasing the album.
Thanks very much, Fred. I'm really looking forward to the new release.
I was asking myself why Lauber quoted "God Save the Queen" for a composition about the Alps, but it appears that in the 19th century, this anthem was used for many German-speaking countries, including Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony, and Lauber's Switzerland: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oben_am_jungen_Rhein (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oben_am_jungen_Rhein)
not the same as "America the Beautiful"/Wilhelmus von Nassau, I take it.
On the strength of the first, highly enjoyable, CD, and the personal touch in the note of thanks for purchasing direct, I will certainly be buying this CD
To be honest, I'm hoping these will be a bit more individual than the first two symphonies. Those were fine, but not particularly distinctive.
I think that's a very fair assessment, but not everyone can have a distinctive voice and it won't stop me getting volume 2.
Lauber seems to be typical of how many composers dealt with their symphonies: No. 1 is a grand gesture, no. 2 a bit more introspective, but after that it's usually anyone's guess. So I'm looking forward to being surprised.
Of course, the surprise may be that you're not surprised!
I hope you'll be surprised!
The master is ready, this is a 72'53 baby.
Of course this is just my opinion, but the third one is a masterpiece.
1896, the year Bruckner passed away... This symphony smells sometimes a bit more german than swiss german.
The andante maestoso is just a beautiful musical moment.
The 6th symphony is just another world. Of course it is a matter of taste but I'm not so fan of the last movement but he wrote it...
"Die Alpen" is just a real Swiss attitude! If you search something else, you could be desappointed but if you just take it as it is written, this is what I see from my windows!
A very nice production with very good quality takes. It has been a real pleasure to do it and I'm sure you'll be happy to listen to this work.
Salutations,
Fred.
A mouthwatering prospect. We look forward to its release.
Particularly the 3rd symphony by Fred's description.
Fred, do you have a rough idea of when this will be released?
Dear Justin,
I have officially no idea because this one was supposed to be recorded next June!
We have a rendez-vous with Kaspar and the label in a few days to give an interview for the booklet, so I shall ask for more accurate information.
But I think it could be soon because there is an interest for the label to release this one before summer, if you know that we shall record the 2 last symphonies next August for a release of this last one before next Christmas.
I'm really close to the label owner, but there are more people who are involved: text, translations, graphism, etc.
I'll write when I'll know.
Thanks once again for this update. We greatly appreciate it.
Yes, we are grateful for your comments. Looking forward to it!
The people at Schweizer Fonogramm sure know "how it's done"
Today I received the Walther/Raff cd..not only you get the pleasure of buying from (and thus "financing") the people who actually made it, but it's cheaper than the others, and free shipping to boot.
What do you want more? Well , a handwritten thank you note!
I got it too, and it was even in my language, of course Italian is one the languages of the Federation, but they are from the German-speaking part, so it was a very nice and personalised gesture.
Very commendable purchase experience.
... and the music and performances are pretty good too!
I received the same note - a very nice touch indeed.
Yes, this is a company one really wants to support.
Dear friends,
The release should be by the end of May, early June.
Fred.
Wonderful! Other CD labels, please take note!
Dear friends,
I just received an email from the label, the CD is now available on their website (Schweizerfonogramm.com).
The last production will take place next August. Would you like me to open a new thread?
As I did for this production, I could give you a link to download my scores. We shall record symphonies 4&5 and close the cycle.
Salutations de Bern,
Fred.
That's great news, Fred, and I'll look forward to hearing this fresh pair of symphonies. Yes, when the final pair of symphonies are recorded, it would be better to open a new thread for that recording.
Duly ordered! Thanks, Fred!
Many thanks for your answer Mark, I will.
Excellent news! Ordered with pleasure!
After listening to the sample of the 6th symphony's third movement, I was surprised at how cheerful and slightly poignant it is for 1949. As the booklet notes say, it is "innocent."
The second movement from his 3rd enters Bruckner territory. More stately in its execution but still with that sense of tenderness that I find in Lauber's symphonies.
Excellent mixing as always, Fred.
Merci Justin!
All the samples are now available on the label website, I cancel the "we transfer" link.
I liked the personal touch in the email from Graziella at the company that she sent yesterday. Thoughtfulness goes a long way!
I had the same kind message. A personal touch indeed - and much appreciated!
...and, lo and behold, today the CD arrived from Switzerland - together with another kind note from Graziella, wishing me 'a beautiful walk among Lauber's Swiss mountain sounds!' How kind!
First reaction re. Symphony No.6: this could almost be described as neo-classical, with a really rather lovely slow movement. In terms of its relationship to Lauber's earlier symphonies, I'm reminded somewhat of Draeseke's 4th, the 'Comica', also written in the composer's old age.
The most attractive music on the CD is the 'The Alps', a Symphonic Suite in F. It's much as one might expect - open-air, open-hearted and shot-through with music for the horns!
For the 3rd Symphony, the best music on the CD, see my next post...
Symphony No.3 in B minor (1896) is quite something - and I really can't think of anything like it. Like much of Lauber's music it sounds gloriously open-hearted, except that there is an extra sense of drama here. Apparently he originally gave the symphony the title 'Dramatique', which I can understand. Maybe there is a specifically Swiss sensibility that I've just never encountered before.
This is music that will repay repeated listening. The booklet suggests that the slow movement is 'strongly reminiscent of Bruckner's Fifth'. I must give that some thought...
Is his music of the Romantic type or is it more dissonant?
It's definitely romantic, although late, as one might expect.
There's no doubt in my mind that No.3 is the best of Lauber that we have heard so far. It is a score of marked contrasts, grand climaxes and huge dynamism. It is also highly original - I really can't think of anything like it. Yes, there may be Brucknerian references in the slow movement and maybe some of the open air quality of Dvorak, but really the synthesis is entirely Lauber's own. Unsurprisingly, this is most obvious in the stamping rhythms and sounds of nature evident in the third movement allegro scherzando - Mahler without the irony, perhaps? The finale sees the addition of tuba and contrabassoon in a movement that again has something of Dvorak, but all in a rougher-hewn musical context. Marked contrasts of dynamic and register feature constantly, with a 'big tune' threatening to dominate before the grandiose splendour of the coda brings the work to an end.
I can only agree with everything Alan has written. Although it retains the freshness and approachability of its two predecessors, this symphony is on an altogether grander scale, not it terms of its length, but in Lauber's individuality, which really does shine through in writing which is both imaginative and confident. It's a very welcome addition to the repertoire.
Kudos, therefore to Kapar Zehnder, his excellent orchestra, Frédéric Angleraux, Graziella Contratto and all at Schweizer Fonogramm. And many, many thanks!
It took until yesterday for my copy to arrive, received by Graziella in the office down below me, and with a delightful handwritten note from Swiss Graziella. So, I have only just played it through, and Lauber´s is a distinctive voice indeed. His music speaks of the countryside, but I have to confess that if Magnus was interrogating me again (or ,maybe,Joseph Cooper), I would not have said the Third Symphony was Swiss, but would have guessed éast of,and south of, Prague. It is not in the least Germanic and ,though the booklet notes reveal that Lauber hiked with Richard Struass, his music is closer to Johann in lightness of touch. And,pressed on whom the composer was, I might have guessed that it was the work of a very young Kodaly! And I didn´t mind the Sixth Symphony as much as I feared, and listened more than my prejudices about music composed in my birth year would normally permit. I would have actually placed the date of the Sixth as post-Rite of Spring, but not by much. The Alpine Suite is most definitely Swiss-meets Eric Coates, but none the worse for that. Despite the booklet describing the Sixth as tinged with melancholy, an air of optimism shines throughout all these works. I really hope Swiss Graziella sends a copy to Musicweb for a decent review. In fact, as I am about to thank her for her note, I might prompt her,if she hasn´t already done so!
Apropos of the Third Symphony, I think that the reason Kodaly came to mind is that there is a zing to the music.
That's a very insightful appreciation of the music. Thanks!
my copy just arrived, with another very sweet handwritten note-card: "Dear Mr Wilson, Have an inspiring sound walk in Lauber's symphonic Nature". Huge cd distributors certainly can't be expected to engage their customers on this personal level, but it certainly is wonderful when the smaller labels can (and do) choose to do so.
Quote from: Alan Howe on Monday 05 July 2021, 22:37
It is a score of marked contrasts, grand climaxes and huge dynamism.
I am having a tough time wrapping my head around the 3rd symphony as an entity, and I think those details are the reason why. The climax at the end of the 1st movement and the entire 2nd movement are both very attractive.
About one minute before the close of the 2nd, there is a unique style of pastoral sound with the woodwinds and strings, which I haven't heard before. This is certainly Late-Romantic in all of its glory! Fortunately I am slowly warming up to it through repeated listening sessions.
Lauber Volume 2 on the WDR:
https://www1.wdr.de/mediathek/audio/wdr3/wdr3-tonart/audio-cd-kritik-sinfoniewerke-von-joseph-lauber-100.html
In German.
Cheers from Bern,
Frederic.
Good to hear that this fine release is getting air time.
Dear Friends,
This CD and the other one are both nominated for the International Classical Music Awards 2022!
https://www.icma-info.com/category/nominations/
The third and final volume with symphonies 4&5 will be released early next year.
Fred.
Congratulations! Thoroughly deserved!
The only other label with multiple nominations in that category is Naxos. This shows that this new label is of the highest quality which is evident by their Lauber/Raff releases.
I've been spending quite a bit of time with these works over the holidays. During the same period, we watched a few ballet performances, and it struck me how the Lauber symphonies sound like ballet music, with fairly concise development sections, and a very well-defined rhythmic basis. In fact, there's hardly a part of it I couldn't imagine as a ballet section in my head, even the slow movements.
On the other hand, this may be a case of a carpenter with a hammer seeing nails everywhere, so I was curious how you people thought about this.
Quote from: Ilja on Friday 14 January 2022, 11:19
[...I]t struck me how the Lauber symphonies sound like ballet music, with fairly concise development sections, and a very well-defined rhythmic basis. In fact, there's hardly a part of it I couldn't imagine as a ballet section in my head, even the slow movements.
On the other hand, this may be a case of a carpenter with a hammer seeing nails everywhere, so I was curious how you people thought about this.
I did not get the same impression, but I understand how one might. When as a teenager I first heard Dvorak's 8th, it was on a broadcast whose opening I had missed, so I did not know what I was listening to until the announcer came on after the end. At that time the only work of Dvorak I knew was the 9th -- I was just starting my musical journey. I was almost certain I was listening to a ballet: the well-defined rhythms, the flowing melody...all of it. That it was a symphony came as a surprise. The more I think on it, the more I can see the balletic qualities of Lauber.
A new review from "the arts Desk:
https://www.theartsdesk.com/classical-music/classical-cds-bounce-bluster-and-bl%C3%A4tter
Amicalement,
Fred.
Dear friends,
I am very proud to inform you that the Lauber cds vol.2 AND vol.3 are nominated for the Opus Klassik 2022 in the following categories:
World première recording (x2)
Symphonic recording (x2)
Orchestra of the year (x2)
Thank you for the support you have given to this work.
With kind regards,
Fred.
https://opusklassik.de/kategorien-nominierte/
Very many congratulations! Thoroughly deserved!
Fred,
What is your personal favorite of the series?
Let's say I like the first one less, in which I see more a desire to show that Lauber can also do it, but I miss the Music. For me the first one is a demonstration card.
I don't find the sixth one extraordinary either.
2-3-4-5 are very beautiful because they each have a colour and an evolution in their own writing that touches me. Even if everything is not magical all the time, in the midst of this beautiful music, I always find extraordinary moments of sensitivity. For me the adequacy between the need to write and the technique is reached.
I must confess that it's the fisrt time, during the editing of these scores, that I had to take some breaks because I was really touched.
But it is also an incredible human adventure with this orchestra and its conductor. Everyone was at Lauber's service, it was beautiful and easy for me to lead the sessions and to feel how everyone was giving their maximum.
Biel is not a "big wellknown" orchestra in Switzerland, but these recordings have generated a lot of great feedback for them.
And I'm proud of that too...
And we have a new project next August with Hans Huber, again with some premiere recordings and conducted by their new conductor!
Amicalement,
Fred.
That's all extremely interesting and encouraging. We greatly look forward to hearing further news about these projects.
I hope the Huber project includes his un-numbered symphony in A major (symphony 1.5) :) and perhaps the as yet unrecorded string concertos
... and perhaps PC 2 & 4?
I will certainly second that. I know where the orchestral material is for both PCs.
The 6 symphonies for a very reasonable price at jpc.de https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/joseph-lauber-symphonien-nr-1-6/hnum/11091889
Where can one purchase there CD's? I can't find them on presto
You can get them from Schweizer Fonogramm (https://www.schweizerfonogramm.com/en/shop/) direct, but depending on where you are based, postage may be a cost factor.
They can be purchased from jpc:
https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/joseph-lauber-symphonien-nr-1-6/hnum/11091889